The Legacy of the Eternal Rivals
by Archenemy999
Summary: After a slight mishap, Kakashi and Gai end up in the Forest of Death. They follow their ears, and witness Naruto Uzumaki brutally kill 2 chuunin with a bloodline that was thought to be lost many years ago. What will happen the Eternal Rivals decide to take the jinchuuriki under their wing. Strong Naruto, Smart Naruto, Grey Naruto. Brotherly Kakashi, Gai and Lee. First fanfic ever.
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

(Narrator POV)

The streets of the East Sector of the Village Hidden in the Leaves were eerily silent. Not a soul walked the streets, but if one were to look closely, they would make out black blurs flitting across the rooftops and in between the alleyways. However, the streets weren't completely deserted.

A drunken pair of men wobbled along, stumbling and holding onto each other for support. They were two of the strongest men in the entire village. Both were renowned S-rank shinobi, and both had earned their place in every single bingo book in every single country. Their names: Kakashi Hatake and Gai Maito.

Kakashi stood at a good height of 6'2''. He had a well-built wiry frame that spoke of speed and strength. He had very spiky silver hair had seemed to defy gravity by shooting out in all directions. He wore his Konoha headband on his forehead such that it completely covered his left eye. He wore a standard Konoha Jonin flak jacket, a long-sleeved black shirt under that, dark blue shinobi pants, black ninja sandals, and a pair of black finger-less gloves with metal plates on the backhand. However, his main feature was that he wore a black face mask that obscured his lower face, including his nose, cheeks, and mouth.

Gai was a tall and very well-built man. He stood at a height of 6'3'', and clearly had a well-defined musculature. He has thick, black eyebrows, high cheekbones, and black hair cut in a bowl style. He wore a standard Konoha Jonin flak jacket, which was unzipped, along with a tight green elastic jumpsuit and bright orange leg warmers. He wore blue shinobi sandals.

They both had returned from an S-rank elimination mission that evening. They had cleaned up, rested, ate, and ended up taking a walk. Later on, they met some friends and fellow jonin, namely Anko Mitarashi, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuuhi, and Yuugao Uzuki. They chatted a bit and ended up going to a bar and having some fun. However, with the large pay from the S-rank mission jingling in their pockets, Kakashi and Gai had a little bit _too_ much fun with some dango and sake. One thing led to another, and they soon found themselves drunk, wandering aimlessly in the empty streets of Konoha.

The pair made their way to the Training Ground No.44, otherwise known as the _Forest of Death._ It was a large circular training ground, about 10 kilometers in radius. The entire forest was bound by a very large and very strong metallic fence, with barbed wire and spikes on the top. There were exactly forty-four gates equally spaced around the fence. Inside it is forest, a river, several ponds, a lake, and a massive tower located in the center of the forest. The forest was given its moniker because of the large amount of gigantic, poisonous, venomous, and aggressive fauna and flora. If people wanted anything dangerous, this forest would give them dangerous, and some more.

As Kakashi and Gai walked around the perimeter, they heard a pained cry echo through the woods. Both perked up and listened closely. After all, it might have been the alcohol playing tricks on them. But it was no illusion, as the cry rang out once again. They shook off the alcohol using chakra, and took off with dizzying speeds towards where the sound had came from. After running for about a minute, they could sense three chakra signatures, two were low-chuunin level and one was high-kage level. They picked up the pace and moved towards the chakra signatures. Soon, they came upon a slight clearing in the dense forest. There was some action going on in that clearing.

The pair jumped on a tree that overlooked the clearing. From their hiding spot, they observed what was going down.

Two obviously drunk chuunin stood in front of a beat-up looking kid. Kakashi and Gai recognized the child on sight. This kid was no ordinary kid. He was Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, and Pariah of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Naruto had spiky blond hair, deep blue eyes, and three whisker marks on each cheek. He stood at only 3'2'', and looked malnourished. However, he had a certain hardness in his eyes, the look of a survivor, and his frame was tightly bound with compact muscle.

Right now, he was in pretty bad shape. Cuts, bruises, and scratches littered his wiry little body. His clothes were ragged, wrinkled, and torn all over. He panted and stood his ground as the two chuunin circled him, looking at him with looks of absolute hatred. Naruto didn't even flinch. He looked at the chuunin. The chuunin looked at him. After a bit of this standoff, the chuunin hurled two kunai towards Naruto.

Time seemed to slow down for the blond kid. As the kunai neared him, he instinctively closed his eyes, curled up into a ball, and covered his vitals. However, something happened which shocked even the two jonin. A large number of glowing, golden chains sprouted from his back, materializing out of Naruto's chakra. The chains moved with extreme speed, instantly interlocking into a very tight golden dome around him. With two soft _pings_ , both of the kunai bounced off harmlessly.

Kakashi was flabbergasted. He thought with surprise, "Could he have inherited Kushina-sempai's Uzumaki bloodline?" Gai was amazed that a child as young as Naruto could have awakened the legendary Uzumaki bloodline.

The chains loosened, and separated into individual links. Naruto slowly stood up, the chains undulating behind him like some beast. When Naruto slowly turned and looked at the chuunin, the chakra chains shot towards them with blinding speed. Neither of them stood a chance. The chains speared them through, then drilled through them, tore them apart, shredded them into mincemeat, and crushed their heads. Blood, guts, bone, flesh, and brain matter flew all over the clearing. The blood-coated chains slowly retracted into the silent child, like a snake retreating into its lair.

Naruto stood there, with empty eyes, taking in what he had done. He started to tremble. His breathing became ragged and panicked; he was hyperventilating. He stared hard at his hands, which were soaked in blood, as was the rest of his body. Some bone was caught in his hair. He took a step forward, and heard a _squelch_. He looked down and saw a bit of brain matter. It looked like thick, pink, slimy, bloody piece of noodle. That was the final nail in the coffin for Naruto. He lurched forward, emptying whatever was in his stomach. After emptying everything and dry-heaving for a couple of seconds, Naruto dropped to the ground with a solid _thump_. He had fainted. Well, you couldn't blame him.

The shell-shocked jonin jumped out from their hiding place and rushed to the scene. Gai quickly picked up Naruto and started brushing off the sick and gore on him. Kakashi cleaned all of the vile malcontents off of Naruto and Gai with a _**Suiton: Mizurappa**_ , and then set the pile ablaze with a shout of _**Katon: Karyu Endan**_. They stood in front of the fire with grim, sad looks, knowing that Naruto had lost his innocence that night. Gai spoke with a heavy, serious tone.

"Kakashi, we should take him to Hokage-sama. He needs medical attention, but I don't trust the hospital. They hate him as well."

Kakashi sighed. "Yes Gai, we ought to take Naruto to Hokage-sama. However, he is in Suna for a political meeting about an alliance. He will not be in Konoha for another week. Let's just take him to my house. He can sleep in one of the rooms."

Gai was still worried. "What about tomorrow or the day after? The villagers or ninja may strike out at him once again. What will you do then?"

"Naruto can stay at my place the rest of the week. It's the least I can do for him. After all, he is my Sensei's son."

"Kakashi, you don't mean that he is-"

"Yes Gai, Naruto is the son of the Yondiame. But don't go around shouting it in the middle of the night!"

"Kakashi, your secret is safe with me. But if he is _his_ son, why doesn't Hokage-sama tell people so they treat him better?"

"Simple. Minato-sensei had countless enemies. I'd bet my life that those enemies, especially Iwa, would try to kill Naruto in order to exact revenge. Also, if Naruto was revealed that he was the son of the Yondiame Hokage, he would be pampered and spoiled, and would never live to his full potential."

"Ah, I understand. Since you are being so Youthful and Kind by letting Naruto-kun live with you, then I will help you to take care of him. If I cannot do this, I WILL DO-!" Kakashi interrupted by slamming his hand over Gai's mouth. Kakashi hissed at him.

"Gai, are you crazy!? This is still the middle of the night, and you mustn't wake up Naruto!" Gai looked sheepish.

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi! I'll never do that again! If I fail to keep this promise, THEN I WILL-Urk!" Kakashi interrupted by slamming his fist into Gai's stomach.

"Gai, last warning. If you shout again, I'll knock you out." Gai looked ashamed.

"Ok Kakashi. I won't shout. Let's get Naruto-kun to your house! Let's race! If I fail to win, THEN I WILL DO-!" Kakashi pinched a pressure point on Gai's neck, causing the man to fall to the ground. Kakashi sighed. When would the man learn?

Kakashi ended up carrying both of them to his house. He unlocked the door with a key he hung on a titanium chain, which he wore around his neck. Kakashi tiredly removed his sandals and placed them near the door, doing the same for Naruto and Gai. He then plonked Gai onto the fluffy couch and spread a bedsheet over him. He gently took Naruto to the guest room and layed him on the bed, and spread a sheet over him. Kakashi tiredly walked towards the kitchen, crammed his mouth with a chocolate bar, drank a glass of water, and headed off to bed. The last thought on his mind, before he drifted into Wonderland was:

"It's gonna be hella awkward in the morning."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

 _ **(Narrator POV)**_ _(I do not own Naruto)_

Naruto awakened with a groan. He thought, "Ugh, why am I so tired? What happened last night? I remember the beating, the chase, the two chuunin. Then I got chased into the forest, and came to a clearing, and then they threw kunai, and then-!" Naruto nearly emptied his stomach when he recalled what he had done the night before. All of it came flashing back to his mind: the golden chains, the _rage_ , and then the gore. Luckily, there was almost nothing in the blond boy's stomach, so nothing came out except for dribble and a bit of hydrochloric acid. His retching attracted the attention of the two men, who were enjoying some tea in the living room. They both rushed to the scene.

Kakashi was enjoying his lemon and mint tea while waiting for Naruto to wake, when suddenly, sounds of retching and coughing came from the guest room. Kakashi thought grimly, "It seems he's woken up. The memories must have hit him hard. Better help him."

The men came upon a pitiable sight. The poor boy had stopped heaving and had started crying. Muffled sobs could be heard coming from Naruto, who had taken a big, fluffy pillow and clutched it to his face. Kakashi took pains to gently pry the pillow from the child's grasp, while Gai stood to the side, waiting to be of assistance. After a couple of minutes, Kakashi managed to get Naruto to let go of the pillow. The kid was very strong, both mentally and physically. Now, Naruto just sat on the bed with empty eyes, probably reliving the scene in his mind or brooding over it. Kakashi and Gai tried to coax him out of his reverie, and after several minutes, Naruto was functional.

Naruto took in his surroundings. He was in a large room, which was nicely lit because of the many windows. The room was fairly neat and clean, and had little to no furniture. The bed he was sitting on was king-sized and was tall enough that he wouldn't be able to touch the floor with his toes if he sat on the edge. There were two men in the room with him: one was sitting next to him on the bed, holding his pillow, and the other was standing next to the bed with his arms crossed. Both of the men were very tall compared to Naruto. The one sitting on the bed spoke to him.

"Naruto, can you understand me? Are you alright?" Naruto slowly nodded, still taking in the room and its occupants.

"Naruto, speak to me." Naruto responded with a hoarse voice. "Who are you?"

"Naruto, how about we talk about over some tea and biscuits?" Naruto nodded hesitantly. "Can you walk?" Naruto nodded again.

"Follow me" Kakashi gave Naruto some new clothes: a plain black shirt and dark blue pants that were several sizes too big. He then led Naruto to the living room and got him comfortable while Gai prepared more tea and biscuits in the kitchen.

After Gai joined them, Kakashi told Naruto to ask any questions he had, and promised that they would give truthful answers. Naruto sipped some of the tea, ignoring the burning sensation of the hot liquid. Naruto began asking.

"Who are you guys?"

Kakashi spoke. "I am Kakashi Hatake" Gai yelled. "I am Gai Maito, the Green Beast of Konoha!"

Naruto smiled a bit at Gai's introduction. Naruto asked, "Am I a monster for killing those men? Am I what the villagers call me?" Naruto said this with a dry, resigned tone, as if he already knew the answer.

"Naruto, you are not a monster for what you did. You acted on instinct. People do have these type of moments, where their body moves on their own. I can assure you that you did not have any control on what you did." Surprisingly, it was Gai who gave the answer. He had a solemn look on his face, as if he knew what he spoke of.

"Have you ever had such a moment, Gai-san?" Gai responded with a heavy voice.

"No need for honorifics with me, Naruto-kun. Just call me Gai. But I have had such an experience. When I was an ANBU agent in the Third Great Shinobi War, I went on an S-rank mission. In the end, there was a big battle. My whole squad was killed right before my eyes, and I was cornered. Then I remembered myself screaming and having a massive surge of power and anger, and then I blacked out. When I woke up, I was holding the crushed head of one of the enemy ninja. I had killed him. And all around me, were the horribly mutilated bodies of everyone else, friend or foe. I blacked out again. The reinforcements, led by Hokage-sama himself, arrived some time later. They said that they found me curled on the ground, covered with gore, and the shredded bodies of over 200 ninjas scattered all around me. It was then that I earned my first moniker: _**The Red Beast of Konoha**_." Gai finished with a sad look.

Naruto was silent at this. He didn't know what to say. Gai was truly strong to have remained sane after such an experience, much less remain a shinobi in action. Naruto felt some respect for the goofy-looking man. Kakashi looked melancholy. Gai had told this story to him first, being that they were best friends, rivals, and they lived in the same house. After that event, Gai constantly got nightmares.

Gai felt uncomfortable with all of the sadness and depression weighing down on them. "Cheer up, you guys! There's no need to be sad for me, none at all! Ask some more questions, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto snapped out of his brooding and looked up at Gai, who gave a smile and nodded at him. Naruto opened his mouth to ask, but the question was unexpected. "Why do the villagers hate me?" Naruto stared hard at them both, searching for any sort of hint. Kakashi and Gai glanced at each other. Both feared that telling Naruto the correct answer would send him into a depression, or would make him jump to conclusions. Kakashi answered.

"Naruto, do you really want to know the answer to that question? The answer may look tempting, but I can assure you that the truth is _ugly_. Do you want us to give you the real reason?" Both men stared at Naruto intensely. The choice Naruto would make could affect his entire future.

"I...I want the _truth."_ The magic words were spoken. Kakashi answered.

"Naruto, about five years ago, the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked the Hidden Leaf Village. It razed half of Konoha down, turned the landscape into Hell on earth. The only ones holding it back from completely destroying the village were Jiraiya of the Sannin, Hiruzen Sarutobi the Sandaime Hokage, and the clan heads of all of the major clans of the village: Chouza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, Fugaku Uchiha, Hiashi Hyuuga, Hizashi Hyuuga, Tsume Inuzuka, Shibi Aburame, and Inoichi Yamanaka. Using extraordinary skill and massive teamwork, they fought the Kyuubi and eventually got it to a standstill in the center of the village. However, the Kyuubi began to charge up a gigantic _**Bijudama**_ , _or Tailed Beast Bomb. Just as it launched, the Yondiame Hokage, Minato Namikaze, appeared in front of it and, using his **Hiraishin no Jutsu**_ , ripped open time and space to send the _**Bijudama**_ about 10 miles from the village. Then the story continues: the Yondiame fought the Kyuubi and killed it. But it is impossible to kill something which is simply a mass of chakra given consciousness. So he sealed it, using an extremely powerful seal that required him to sacrifice his life. However, there was a problem. No ordinary object could hold a Biju; only the _**Amber Sealing Pot**_ could hold a Biju, but that was in Kumo. So the Yondiame had to seal it into something else: a human, one with an Uzumaki's life force and chakra. You were that Uzumaki, Naruto. You are the jailer, or the container, of the Nine Tailed Fox."

Naruto froze. So, the villagers hatred had some basis, he thought. Maybe, their resentment is justified, he thought. His hair shadowed his eyes as he began to contemplate darker thoughts, like: What if he was the Beast? What if the Beast had merged with him? What if he was the bogeyman, the Devil, the story parents tell their children at night? What was he? Who was he? Why him? Naruto continued to drown in these thoughts, each possibility leading to the next one. Kakashi and Gai sadly looked on, wanting to help, but they knew that it was all Naruto's choice, and he must confront his demons by himself.

Golden chains burst out of Naruto's back, tearing the clothes that Kakashi had given him. They writhed around in the air for a couple of moments, before completely cocooning Naruto in a golden dome. Gai was in worry. "What do we do, Kakashi?!" Kakashi sighed and slumped back.

"We wait."

* * *

 _ **(Naruto's Mindscape)**_

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and took stock of his surroundings. He was in a wet, dark sewer, and it smelled musty. He was still wallowing in his dark thoughts and had empty eyes, reminiscent of someone who was daydreaming. He slowly got up and looked around, still not comprehending where he was.

A voice sounded out from within the blackness. It was a deep, growling voice that had power and authority behind it. It spoke:

 _"You are confused, no? You wonder who you are. You wonder why it was you that had to be chosen. You have many questions, and I have **all** of the answers. Come to me, and I will give them to you."_

The voice was terrifying, but its deal was very tempting. Naruto looked towards the dark space from where the voice came from. He took one step, then two, then three, and started to haltingly walk towards the voice. A sinister chuckle echoed in the blackness.

 _"Yes, that's very good. Keep walking to me, and I will give you all of the keys to all of the doors. Come."_

Naruto drunkenly walked towards the sound, still lost in his despair. The voice began to intoxicate him, promising the greatest of rewards if he came to him. The voice was growing louder and clearer, and Naruto was moving faster and faster.

At last, the darkness cleared, and Naruto entered a dimly lit room. The far wall was not there. There was only a massive series of bars, almost like a prisoner's cage. Only these bars were five feet in diameter, and stretched up to the ceiling. Naruto approached the gate, and as he neared it, he saw the place where the two bar walls met. The massive gate had no padlock: it only had a medium sized slip of paper with hundreds of kanji on it. This slip of paper looked like it held the massive doors closed. As Naruto stood in front of the gate, the voice purred.

 _"Yes. You're almost there. Come to me, and you shall be free of any doubt. I will give you whatever answers you desire, if you but remove that pesky slip of paper."_

At this, Naruto hesitated. Even though his thinking ability was heavily incapacitated, he wasn't that stupid to remove a lock from a door when a scary voice told him to. Naruto stood there but did not remove the lock. The voice spoke again, this time, it was impatient.

 _"Did you hear me? I said that if you peel off that piece of paper, I will give you all the answers you could ever want! What are you waiting for?"_

Naruto still stood there, unmoving. The voice repeated its request, this time, it was annoyed.

 _"Why are you hesitating! Rip it off, and you shall reap rewards unheard of even to the greatest kings! **DO IT!** "_ The voice was snarling by now.

Naruto did not move an inch. The voice gave up and asked a different question.

 _"If you peel off a tiny bit of the paper, I will give you all of the answers you could ever need. **Please?** "_

Naruto nodded. A column of black and red chakra leaked out from between the bars and swirled around Naruto. It formed a tower that lifted the short child up to the paper, which was about 20 feet off the ground. Naruto soon came level with it, and without a moment of hesitation, he pulled a centimeter or two of the paper off.

 **BOOM!**

A massive explosion of chakra blew Naruto away, and he fell 20 long feet to the ground, landing with an "oomph". Masses of chakra leaked out from between the bars and quickly converged on Naruto. The impact was like a wave. The chakra encased him and got absorbed into him in seconds. Naruto's eyes turned blood-red with no pupil or sclera. Wisps of red chakra rolled off him like steam rising from a hot spring. Naruto cracked an evil smile and walked towards the paper.

* * *

 _ **(In the Real World)**_

With Kakashi and Gai, the golden chains that encased Naruto started to contort as if something was trying to get out. Small leaks began forming all over the cocoon, and red chakra hissed from them like a pressure cooker releasing steam. The chains began to evaporate, leaving Naruto hunched with his hair shadowing his eyes. A massive wildfire of red chakra erupted around the child, blazing like the sun. The corrosive chakra ate away at the mat the child was sitting on, and started to damage the floor. Kakashi's eyes widened. Thinking the worst, he slammed a seal onto Naruto's forehead. The red chakra nearly disappeared; the only signs of it were small wisps of it rolling off of Naruto. Kakashi yelled out.

"Gai, we need to get Naruto outside before the seal I put up breaks! It's only temporary! Come on!" Kakashi grabbed Naruto and rushed outside, with Gai hot on his heels. Kakashi got to his front yard and set Naruto down, and just in time too, because at that very moment, an explosion of red chakra knocked Kakashi off of his feet and made Gai stumble. The red chakra slowly began to eat away at the ground underneath Naruto, and a crater began to form as the earth itself melted and turned to wisps of steam. Gai yelled in panic:

"Kakashi, what do we do?! Do we call for help?" Kakashi grimly responded.

"No, Gai. Help will come. The chakra will be felt all over Konoha. ANBU will arrive in minutes. We will wait, and hope that Naruto fixes the problem."

* * *

 _ **(Naruto's Mindscape)**_

Naruto had been possessed by the vile chakra and his body was now under the control of the voice. The evil Naruto slowly made his way towards the paper seal, which was the only thing holding the thing behind it back. Naruto jumped the twenty feet, stuck to the gate, and slowly grasped the peeled off edge of the paper. With an evil laugh, he started to pull it off. The gates began to crack as more and more red chakra leaked out.

In the real world, the amount of red chakra had increased exponentially, and was probably felt all over the country. The terrifying presence of the Kyuubi was felt around Konoha again. Babies started to cry, children ran for their mommies, and adults clutched their hearts, reliving the attack. The ground around Naruto cratered, the air became heavy, and the winds picked up. If it didn't stop, a real disaster could happen.

Evil Naruto peeled more and more. Already half of the seal was removed, and more was going to be removed. Five tails of chakra were unlocked. Then six tails. Then seven tails. Then eight tails.

Outside, the situation was becoming terrible. Naruto was encased in a very condensed ball of red chakra, with seven blood-red tails swinging behind him. He was transforming. Half of the entire ANBU corps were present, as were the clan heads. They threw whatever jutsu they knew at the ball, but nothing would penetrate. All of the seals they tried shattered like glass. When the chakra increased and an eighth tail sprouted, it became hysterical. Most of the shinobi were either out of chakra or had given up. It seemed like the end, until...

A strong hand grasped evil Naruto's wrist, and stopped him from ripping off the seal. Evil Naruto looked at him with confusion, and then with rage, realising who it was that had risen from the grave to stop him again.

The hand belonged to the Yondiame Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He had spiky blond hair with jaw-length bangs framing both sides of his face. He had sparkling blue eyes and a determined look on his face. He wore his traditional Hokage outfit, that is, the one he wore before he died.

Evil Naruto spoke in the Kyuubi's deep, feral voice. " _ **YONDIAME.**_ _How are you here? **I killed you!** You should be dead and buried!"_

Minato spoke in a firm voice that was worthy of his title. "That is not your concern, _Kyuubi_. Now, I have to free my son from you, so face me!"

 _"Hehehe. You think you can win against eight tails of my potent chakra? We shall see. But, you've always been so committed towards defeating your enemies. Let's see if you will be as committed when you face your son!"_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	3. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_**

 ** _(Narrator POV)_** ( _I do not own Naruto)_

Evil Naruto jumped back onto the wall behind him, cracking it. He dropped to the ground and cracked his neck. Minato dropped to the ground and narrowed his eyes at his possessed son. To be honest, he was somewhat queasy on fighting his own son, possessed or not. He was also afraid of what his wife would do to him when she found out that he essentially beat up his own son.

Minato steeled himself and pulled out two kunai, each in one hand. Both of them took one breath, and within the blink of an eye, they shot at each other. Minato ducked under the sharp punch thrown by Naruto and slammed his chest with his shoulder, sending him several meters into the air. Wanting to end it quickly, the Forth Hokage formed a very powerful _**Rasengan**_ in his hand and jumped up at the airborne Naruto. Just as he was going to slam it into his stomach, a gargantuan shockwave of crimson chakra erupted from the stunned body of Naruto, blasting the man to the ground and dissipating his Rasengan.

Minato had managed to shift his body so he hit the ground feet first and was able to crouch and shrug off the attack. He frowned as Naruto calmly dropped to the ground and dusted himself off. Minato realised that this battle would be much harder than he initially thought. He couldn't go all out on his son, because if he died here, he would die outside. Also, Evil Naruto was proving to be a much tougher opponent than he imagined.

Naruto shot at Minato, interrupting his thoughts. Naruto was going with something else. He had a glowing ball of red chakra in his hand, that exuded power. Minato immediately realised that one hit from that technique could cause some serious damage. He decided to test its strength. A very powerful _**Rasengan** _ formed in his hand. The two rushed at each other and prepared to clash their techniques.

However, Naruto smirked and jumped over the charging Minato. Minato's eyes widened. Naruto pointed his technique at the exposed back of Minato and spoke in the Kyuubi's demonic voice.

 _ **"Imari"**_

The ball released a massive cone-shaped beam of destructive chakra, which shined so brightly it was hard to look upon. The beam expanded as it neared Minato. Just as it was going to hit him, he turned with lightning speed and slammed his Rasengan into it. However, this Rasengan was not ordinary. As soon as it hit the beam, it expanded into a spiralling ball of chakra about 20 feet in diameter. Minato whispered his jutsu's name.

 _ **"Odama Rasengan"**_

The beam was stopped in its tracks: it grinded against the massive Rasengan with all of its force, but could not penetrate it. Eventually, the beam dissipated into wisps of chakra. Evil Naruto frowned at the failure of his technique against the Yondiame. The frown was soon transformed into a smirk: this meant that the fight would be taken to another level. He nursed his hand, which had burns, due to the massive amount of chakra that had been channelled through it.

Minato got worried at this. Kyuubi was pushing hard; he was pushing so hard that Minato doubted that his son's body could take it after a while. However, this meant that there was all the more reason to finish him quickly and repair the seal. With a chakra-enhanced leap, Minato cleared the distance between them and tried to punch Naruto, who dodged it.

Minato tried all of his taijutsu moves, used every single bit of his flexibility, speed, and strength, but it wasn't enough. Naruto only got bruises and scratches that healed almost instantly. The fight was going nowhere. Soon, Minato seemed to get frustrated, and he decided to step things up.

The Forth Hokage jumped back and landed on the wall. He pulled out a ball that seemed like an ordinary smoke bomb. However, when he threw it at the center of the ceiling, masses of tri-pronged kunai rained down from the explosion caused by the ball. The ground was absolutely littered with tri-pronged kunai; every five feet there was one, and even the walls were covered with them. Evil Naruto smirked. The game had just gotten a lot more fun. However, he would soon regret that thought.

From then on, Minato dominated the fight. Whenever Naruto attacked, it was dodged effortlessly and rewarded with a crushing counterattack. Minato showed no mercy; he was in Hokage-mode. Evil Naruto was kept on his toes by the continual barrage of attacks; he was given no breathing space. Minato continued to whittle away at the possessed Naruto. Each wound he made on Naruto used up a bit of the Kyuubi's chakra to heal. So by slowly damaging Naruto and carving off chunks of the chakra, Minato could get the Kyuubi into a weaker state, which he could reseal.

Naruto was recovering from a massive wound from a Rasengan when it happened. The chakra coming off Naruto decreased, in both the real world and his mindscape. In the real world, the transformed Naruto shedded a tail, leaving him with seven tails. Minato grimly smiled. His plan was working. Just one more tail gone, and he could seal the six tails of the Kyuubi using an Eight-Trigrams seal. Soon, he would he reunited with his son. This thought echoed in his mind, fueling his fighting spirit until it turned into a great blaze. Minato flashed towards the stunned Naruto with newfound determination.

If Naruto had been dominated in the fight earlier, then he was completely manhandled now. Minato was faster, stronger, and more ruthless. His desire to free his son had made him lose himself to his inner fighting soul. He attacked so fast that he already began a new attack even before the blast of the first one ended. Now he was truly a Yellow Flash. He was intangible, he was unblockable, he was invincible. Naruto was constantly pounded by various afterimages of the Yondiame.

Kyuubi was growling in frustration from within his cage. The beast understood Minato's plan , and acknowledged it to be a good one. However, that didn't change anything. He had underestimated the sheer power and skill of the Forth Hokage. As the fight went from bad to worse, Kyuubi noticed a big change in Minato's demeanor. The man was going very, _very_ hard on his own son. He soon realised what was happening, and grew an evil smile. He planned.

Minato was like a wrecking ball now; he had been set in motion, and his own momentum would carry him forward. He spewed fire, shot lightning, and fanned wind. There was no escaping his attacks. Naruto's injuries were now taking loger to heal, but were inflicted with ten times the speed.

When Naruto had only a sliver of the seventh tail and six more, Kyuubi put his plot into action. The moment Minato created a very powerful tecnique, he would reclaim his chakra and let Naruto take the full brunt of the attack. The boy's regenerative speed. while remarkable, was not enough to heal a wound caused by a killer jutsu caused by the Forth Hokage. And when, Minato killed his own son, he would have the last laugh.

The moment Kyuubi had been waiting for was just seconds away. Minato flashed above him and created a very condensed Rasengan and prepared to slam it into Naruto with all the force he could muster. He knew that the seventh tail was about to be shed. However, as he shot down and slammed the Rasengan into Naruto, he noticed something. There was no red chakra seeping from his body, and his eyes were a bright blue, albeit a bit dazed. Minato realised what had happened and tried to stop himself, but it was too late. The attack would deliver fatal damage to Naruto. Minato heard the Kyuubi chuckle, and furiously screamed, "NO! This is not the end! I will not give in to your trickery, Kyuubi! I will not kill my own son! Not today!"

With superhuman effort, Minato pulled the Rasengan away from his child and slammed it into himself in order to diffuse the chakra ball. A cataclysmic explosion rocked the walls and Minato was thrown aside like a rag doll. Naruto had a safer landing as his chains came out and formed a slide for him to travel on. He slowly looked around and came back to his senses. He had witnessed everything in the battle, and it answered almost all of his questions. The little boy got up and ran as fast as he could to his bleeding father.

Minato gasped and coughed up blood. He got to experience first-hand what his jutsu did, and it was not pretty. His torso was completely torn, with massive spiral cuts all over. His internal organs were a mess: one of his lungs was ruptured, his liver was pierced by a piece of broken bone, and a lot of blood vessels had been torn apart. His other organs were mixed up, out of their places, or simply torn apart. He only had minutes to live. He was determined to spend those last moments with his son, no matter what.

Naruto reached his father and bent down to look at his wounds. At one glance, Naruto knew that it would be impossible to heal Minato: not even Tsunade of the Sannin could heal something like this in the amount of time they had. Naruto grasped his dad's hand, who weakly squeezed back. They looked each other in the eye, and conveyed all of the emotions they could. They remained like this for a couple of seconds until Minato spoke in a raspy, weak voice.

"N-Naruto, you must have heard this by now, but I am your f-father. There are so many things I want to tell y-" Minato was cut off by a violent coughing fit, which sprayed Naruto with his blood. "There are so many things I want to do with you, as your father. B-But now, there is time for only one thing. I ask you t-this: Will you ever forgive me?" Another fit of coughs racked his body.

Naruto did not speak with a sagely tone or a knowing look. He spoke like the child he was, he spoke with some hesitation and some sadness. He spoke from his soul. He told his father, "I will forgive you. Not today, but sometime in the future. I understand your choice but hate it at the same time. So, for the record, I forgive you, _Tou-san_." Minato's eyes moistened at this. He could not have asked for anything better than forgiveness.

"Thank you, sochi. Thank you so much. _Thank you_." Minato was crying now, but these were tears of joy.

Minato spoke again, but this time, he was stronger. "Naruto, I do not have much time left. But I will leave you with these three scrolls, two of which contain my prized jutsu, and one which has a jutsu which will help you greatly." At this, a rack with three scrolls on it materialized next to him. One was marked " _ **Rasengan**_ ", another was marked " ** _Hiraishin_** ", and the third was marked " _ **Kage Bunshin**_ ". Minato continued.

"Some advice: stay with Kakashi-kun and Gai-kun, as they will help you and keep you safe. Don't eat too much ramen," At this, Naruto pouted, "and always eat your vegetables. Don't stay up too late, unless you're training, and don't wake up too late, unless it's a day off. Stay away from the Icha-Icha series, and don't go to the hot springs with Jiraiya of the Sannin, your Godfather." Naruto's eyes widened at this: he had a godparent.

"And one final thing: remember that you are not the beast that was sealed inside of you. You are Naruto Uzumaki, son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze. Never doubt yourself. Be self-reliant. And never, _ever_ believe that the b-bad comments about you are t-true. Be f-free of the opinion of others."

Minato was weakening with every second. He pulled his son close and held him for the final seconds. Naruto clutched him for dear life. Soon, the breaths became too short and the trembling became too great, and Minato breathed his last words.

 _"I love you, son."_

 _XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX_


	4. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

 _ **(Narrator POV)** (I do not own Naruto)_

Naruto awoke to the warmth and softness of a bed. The events that happened earlier hit him hard and sent him reeling. He saw his father die in his mindscape after an earth-shattering fight. He remembered the whole ordeal up until the point when his father died with the word "I love you, son" on his lips. He remembered the coldness of the body as the sewer seemed to leech it of all heat. Then, his father's body had started to disintegrate into golden dust which flew to the weak seal and repaired it. The moment the paper had been reconstructed, gigantic interlocking Torii gates slammed down onto the Kyuubi, restraining every single part of his body. Not a peep would come from him for a while. However, Naruto didn't know where the six tails of chakra went.

Naruto sighed as he sifted through the events that had taken place. He sat in a comfortable silence for a while, but his thoughts were soon interrupted by the exuberant voice of...Gai. He shouted and yelled with joy that he was awake, called for Kakashi, and started screaming about how "youthful" Naruto was for recovering so quickly. Naruto sweatdropped. Some things just don't change.

"Naruto, how are you feeling? You had some pretty serious injuries." Kakashi asked, his single visible eye creased with worry.

"Ne, Kakashi, you don't need to worry about me. Tell me, what happened?" Naruto spoke in a raspy, hoarse voice.

Kakashi sighed and told him the whole story. "You started to leak red chakra that eroded anything it touched, so I put a small seal on you and we took you outside, and just in time, because the moment we put you down, the seal shattered and red chakra exploded from you. After that, the chakra became so bad that it literally carved a crater in the ground all around where we put you down. The chakra was so great that it attracted almost everyone, and the moment they saw you, they thought it was the Kyuubi attack all over again and started throwing whatever jutsu they knew at you, but it had no effect. You kept on sprouting tails and by the time you got to four tails, you turned red. When you got six tails, a bone armor formed around you. And when you got eight tails, you started to transform into a mini-Kyuubi. By then everyone was on their knees, begging to the Kami to save them. However, the chakra around you suddenly shot up into the sky, leaving your body in the center of the steaming crater. Itachi Uchiha summoned some crows which lifted you out of the crater. You had very bad burns all over your body. Some of your body was black with horrible burns. However, the most trusted medics of the Hokage patched you up and put you in this bed. Three days later, and you are good as new."

Naruto digested this. It made some sense, but there were some things he needed to see for himself, just to make sure that it wasn't all a dream. "Kakashi, Gai, can you show me the crater?" They nodded and asked if he could walk. When Naruto said yes, they took him outside into the front yard. There was a very interesting sight.

A circular crater with a diameter of about 30 feet had been carved into the earth. It went down 20 feet. However, the special quality of this crater was that the all of the earth in the crater was a deep, glossy black. It was as if the whole thing was covered in smooth, black glass. In the center, wisps of chakra still came out of the earth, as if the chakra had not been dispersed, but continued to exist.

Kakashi said, "The crater is extremely slippery, and due to it being formed by the vile chakra of the Kyuubi, you cannot use chakra to stick to the surface of it. The surface is also almost unbreakable, and it is very, _very_ hot." The power of the Kyuubi's chakra was amazing. In just a half an hour, a crater this deep and wide had been created, and it had absolutely remarkable qualities.

Kakashi spoke again. "The surface is so resistant to chakra that the Doton users couldn't cover it up. So, I'll be having this in my yard for quite a while." Kakashi eye-smiled and scratched the back of his head a bit.

Naruto turned to Kakashi and said seriously, "I need to tell you my side of the story."

* * *

After Naruto shed light on what happened in his mind, Kakashi and Gai were left in awe. They found it hard to believe at first, but as Naruto explained more, it all began to make sense. When Naruto asked if he could live with Kakashi and Gai, they both said that it would be alright. Naruto would live in the third bedroom and he would be taken care of by both Kakashi and Gai until he could take care of himself. When they told him that they would teach him, the kid immediately requested a training session.

* * *

 _ **(Training Ground No.9)**_

Soon, the trio found themselves in one of the various training grounds that were littered around the village. When Kakashi announced that they were in Training Ground No.9, the irony was not lost on Naruto or Gai. The three laughed to their hearts content and then settled down so they could begin the training. Kakashi and Gai had already gone ahead and gotten all of the materials needed for Naruto's training. They both had some special stuff to give him, other than the normal things: clothing, weapons, first-aid kits, supplementary pills, etc. Gai decided to give his first.

Gai walked in front of Naruto. In one hand with a set of leg warmers, arm warmers, and a vest. He also held a scroll in his other hand. Despite the close proximity, he spoke with an unusually loud voice. "Naruto-kun, what I have for you is a set of chakra weights. These weights are special, you see, since they increase their weight when you pump more chakra into them. However, you cannot reduce their weight once you increase it, so use them carefully. The leg warmers, arm warmers, and vest will change their size to give you the perfect fit, so you don't need to get a new set once you outgrow them. The leg warmers, arm warmers, and vest hold the cylindrical weights, and they are specially reinforced with seals to hold the weight of a mountain. These weights are used by my protege, Lee! I hope they serve you as well as they served him!" Gai finished with a blinding smile and a thumbs up.

Naruto took the items and did a little victory dance. "These weights will be so useful!", he thought with excitement.

"Can I put them on, Gai-sensei?" Gai was a little surprised by the honorific but nevertheless helped him to put the equipment on. Naruto tried moving around, but found no difference in weight. "Hey, Gai-sensei, I don't feel any weight at all! It's as light as a feather!" Naruto was confused. Weren't the weights supposed to be _heavy_? Gai solved the problem by channeling a tiny bit of chakra into each weight. Soon, Naruto felt the pressure and found that it was a lot harder to move.

Gai said, "I've started you off at 10 kilograms for each limb and 20 kilograms for the chest. When you get used to this weight, come to me! I'll increase it to 20 kilos per limb and 30 kilos for the chest!"Naruto was shocked at how much weight he had to carry on his first day and voiced his concerns.

"Gai-sensei, isn't this a bit too hard for my first day? I mean, if you add it all up, I've got about 60 kilos of weight on me right now!" Gai promptly gave an explanation.

"Naruto-kun, I need to start you off with so much because first, your body gets used to the weight and adapts, and second, your muscles need to tear. When you tear your muscle cells, they rebuild themselves to be a little more bigger and stronger than before. The weight will tear your muscles and give you a base to work from. Believe me, after this step, it will be much easier." Gai finished with another dazzling smile of youth.

Naruto understood and nodded with a grin. He tried to mimic Gai's enthusiasm: "YOSH! I will get used to the weight in day! If I cannot do that, I shall increase the weight to 110 kilos!" Kakashi was silent, his hair shadowing his eyes. Only one thought echoed in his skull: "I have failed you, Minato-sensei."

Gai was ecstatic. The prospect of having two excellent proteges who were brimming with youth nearly made him faint. He cried tears of joy and shouted out various nonsensical sentences, all of which included the words "youth", "Naruto", and "Lee". He then hugged Naruto with considerable strength, which winded the boy.

"Oh, Naruto-kun, I am so glad that you have finally discovered the joys of YOUTH! I can see that you are bursting with energy and joy and YOUTH! Keep up the good work, my boy!" Gai then flashed his teeth at Kakashi and gave Naruto the legendary hug. Gai hugged Naruto and Naruto hugged Gai, with a stunning background of a rolling ocean and an orange sun setting over the water, and the red-tinted clouds giving a perfect overhang. There was a beautiful golden beach and several palm trees swaying with the wind. Dramatic music appeared out of nowhere, and the hug lasted until the sun set into the horizon. Gai wiped his tears away, and surprisingly, so did Naruto.

Naruto grinned and laughed carefree, as if he didn't know what he had just gotten himself into. The blond kid could be perceptive and wise beyond his years, yet also be thick and carefree at times as well. Gai just smiled back, and miraculously, his teeth didn't blind them. Kakashi hung his head with despair but got over it. It was almost inevitable for someone as energetic, hard-working, and thick-headed as Naruto to not be indoctrinated by Gai if they lived close by.

Kakashi sighed and stepped forward. Naruto turned to him expectantly, his grin lingering on his face.

"Kakashi-sensei, what have you got for me? Is it as cool as Gai's present?"

"Naruto, the thing I am about to give you might not look as cool, but it is extremely vital for a shinobi to fully understand elemental ninjutsu." Kakashi pulled out three pieces of paper from his pouch he gave one to Gai and one to Naruto, keeping the last to himself. "These papers are made from a tree that has been specially nurtured with chakra, so the paper is very reactive to chakra. If you channel chakra to the paper, then it will react to the elemental affinity that your chakra naturally has. If the paper cuts into pieces, you have an affinity to Wind. If it crumples up or gives off sparks, you have an affinity to Lightning. If the paper crumbles into dust or chunks of dirt, you have an affinity to Earth. If the paper gets wet or it dissolves into water, you have an affinity to Water. And finally, if the paper burns up, you have an affinity to Fire. It is also possible to have multiple affinities, and an affinity can be weak, strong, or average, depending on the reaction of the chakra paper. Me and Gai will both show you our affinities as an example. I'll go first."

Kakashi held the paper between his index finger and his thumb. The paper wrinkled up, showing that he had a natural lightning affinity. Gai held his between his index and middle fingers, like a cigarette. The paper wrinkled up and then burst into flames, showing that Gai had two natural affinites: Fire and Lightning.

They both turned to Naruto. Naruto held his paper and concentrated. Nothing happened. The child chuckled sheepishly and looked at both of his senseis. Naruto told them sheepishly, "I'm sorry, sensei, but I don't know how to channel chakra." He gave a nervous chuckle.

Kakashi was confused. "But Naruto, if you can't channel chakra, then how did you control your chains?"

"Well, I just commanded them in my mind and they did what I wanted."

Kakashi sighed and began an explanation of chakra. "Chakra is the mixture of the physical and spiritual essences of the body. It flows through your body through a system called the Chakra Network, which spans every single cell in your body. You can channel chakra through various points in the system called Tenketsu. There are 361 Tenketsu on a human chakra system. If you use up all of your chakra and have none left, then you will die. That's why we need chakra control, so we control the amount of chakra we use in a technique as to not use too much or too less. You can access your chakra by meditating and looking deep inside of you. Meditate with your hands in the Ram handseal. Once you reach a pool of warmth, you must bring it out for the first time. Bringing it out and using it will be much easier after your first try. Will you try it now?" Naruto nodded.

Naruto sat down cross-legged and clasped his hands in the Ram handseal. He closed his eyes and started to block out the outside world and delve into his own mind. After just floating in the darkness for a while, he felt a pool of warmth and energy. He grasped it and tried to bring it out. At first the willful substance did not budge an inch. However, after several minutes of trying, he yanked out a massive chunk of his chakra and let it flow freely throughout his body. It was exhilarating. He felt unimaginable power at his fingertips.

Outside, things were pretty bad. Kakashi and Gai just stood there for a couple of minutes. They both believed that it was near impossible for Naruto to unlock his chakra on his first try with no experience or knowledge at all. However, after some time, they were surprised. They could feel Naruto's chakra fluctuating, which meant he had found it at least. They waited for him to bring it out. When it finally did come out, it came like a flood of water from a broken dam. Waves of blue chakra burst out of him and shrouded him in a thick cloak of deep blue power. Both of the jonin were sent to their knees at the presence of the chakra. It surpassed the Sandiame's by at least ten times and was very powerful. This was most likely the result of too much of the Kyuubi's chakra flowing through him. Due to his young age, his chakra network was still a bit mouldable, and that little bit was all that was needed. It was clear that chakra control would be a pain in the ass for the young Jinchuuriki.

This time, people did not get a heart attack at feeling Naruto's chakra. The chakra blanketed the entire training ground in a light haze of blue, and then dispersed. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and looked curiously at the downed Kakashi and Gai.

"Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei, why are you two lying down? Did I take so long that you went to sleep?" Kakashi sighed and pulled himself to his feet tiredly.

"No, Naruto, we didn't fall asleep. How do I say this...You have more chakra than the Sandaime. About ten times more, to be specific. This must have been caused by the massive amount of the Kyuubi's chakra that flowed through you three days ago. I'm afraid it will be a hard and long battle before you are able to control your chakra at the level of a genin. It will be impossible for you to get perfect chakra control, unless you have some crazy bloodline. Your training just got a _lot_ more torturous." Naruto paled at this. Only god knew what would happen to him now.

"Now that you can channel your chakra, show us what it does to the paper. We're waiting."

Naruto grasped the paper between his index finger and thumb and channeled chakra. Surprisingly, he was able to channel just an inkling of a silver of a drop of his chakra into the paper. The paper split into two equal slices. Then those two split into four. Then four to eight. Eight to sixteen. Sixteen to thirty-two...And so forth. Within seconds, the paper practically _disintegrated_ into dust by the amount of times it was halved.

Kakashi and Gai were very, _very_ shocked. If that wasn't a trick, then Naruto had the most powerful wind affinity that had ever been seen in the history of _ever_. This was no doubt one of the side effects of the Kyuubi's chakra outbreak three days ago. However, this was truly a _blessing_. If Naruto managed to master his affinity _alone_ , he could become as strong as Hashirama or Tobirama Senju.

Kakashi and Gai would see him reach that power. They would train him to the best of their ability. They would nurture him with a home, a family of sorts, friends, and knowledge. They decided that Naruto was a one-in-a-million miracle child, and they would help him along his path to greatness.

 _He would be their legacy, the **Legacy of the Eternal Rivals**_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto's chains are a type of the Adamantine Attacking Chains, but are not the fuinjutsu of the Uzumaki. In this fanfic, they will be a bloodline of the Uzumaki, that few unlock.

Kakashi told Gai of Naruto heritage because:

1\. They are very good friends

2\. They share almost all of their secrets

3\. They were still under the effect of the alcohol

4\. It wasn't that much of a secret: most people didn't know about his heritage

Gai already knew of Naruto's burden, as do most of the experienced/high-ranking shinobi of the village.


	5. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4_**

 _ **(Narrator POV)** (I do not own Naruto)_

Naruto's chakra control training was hell on earth. Naruto had to first make about as many clones as he could make, which was about 570. Then he would sit down and meditate while sticking leaves and rocks to every visible part of his body. Sometimes, there were so many leaves and branches stuck to Naruto's body that Kakashi found it hard to spot him when he meditated in the bushes. This, of course, drove the ever-optimistic Gai to make Naruto master it as a stealth technique. And master it Naruto did.

Naruto had grown greatly in three months. His attire had changed as well. He now wore dark blue ninja pants and a special black long-sleeved shirt that could be turned into a short-sleeved one. He had also grown a _lot:_ he had shot up in height several inches, and had a small frame that held terrifying strength and speed.

Now, Naruto's full potential was simply astronomically huge: so huge, he might never attain it. It was frightening that a mere child, an orphan, could one day possess enough power to match or _beat_ Hashirama Senju in his prime.

While his chakra control training may have been easy, the rest of it was _hard. Real_ hard. Naruto was taking the path of an Uzumaki, which he had learned from the various books of history he had read. From Gai, he learned the Goken taijutsu style, the Eight Celestial Gates, the human body, the vital spots, the pressure points, etcetera. From Kakashi, he learned elemental manipulation, element theory, handseals, jutsu, kenjutsu, and stealth.

Naruto had taken up fuinjutsu as well, and he was doing extremely good in it: for his age. In just a month, he had already mastered the beginner's level, where he had to learn all of the kanji and symbols required to make the seal, as well as extensive seal theory and advanced calligraphy. Every day he would wake up early in the morning, sit on the porch, and practice his calligraphy, his drawing skills, or just draw kanji randomly on a paper. He had also just begun Level One fuinjutsu, which to no surprise, was a piece of cake for him. He had already learned how to make basic storage seals and basic storage tattoos.

Now, Naruto could also enter and exit his mindscape at will. He had found this out when he sat down to meditate and suddenly found himself in the sewer. Then, could just meditate in his mindscape and go back to the real world. He also found out that he could manipulate everything in his mindscape, including the structure of the prison cage and Torii which confined the Kyuubi.

Naruto never left the safety of the Hatake estate. He was afraid of going outside again, having the villagers hate him or hurt him. That's why he confined himself to the estate and always asked Kakashi or Gai to buy equipment for him. Life was good for him. With the animosity of the villagers gone, Naruto could focus on his training.

* * *

 _ **(Hatake Estate)**_

Naruto was currently training in kenjutsu. In his hands, he held a practice wooden sword which was marred with splintered edges and tiny cracks. He was hitting a wooden log, which served as a target dummy. Naruto ran through the around the dummy with chuunin-level speeds and continuously struck at it, giving cuts and cracks and splinters all over. This would be to weaken and slow down the enemy. After a couple of minutes of doing this, Naruto kicked the dummy as hard as he could and jumped back. The moment he touched the ground, he thrusted back off like a jackhammer, springing towards his target with a massive amount of speed and momentum. Naruto gathered himself in midair, preparing for the finishing strike, a stab. He let loose his arms and the sword shot forward and obliterated the dummy in a spray of splinters.

Naruto slowly stood back up, breathing hard. He glanced at his practice bokken, or what was left of it, since the wooden sword could not bear the force of the devastating strike. Naruto tossed it aside. When it hit the ground, whatever left of it burst into splinters and chunks of wood. Each sword was only good for about two to three of those katas, and that number was bound to decrease as Naruto grew stronger.

The kata was simple yet devastating. Naruto planned to use a katana, which was ideal for the strike, as it increased the much-needed range. Naruto would use complex footwork to circle around, over, and beneath his enemy, striking at them again and again, but none of the strikes would be lethal ones. This served two purposes: to weaken the enemy, and to lure him into a false sense of security. After some time of this, which would increase as Naruto grew stronger, Naruto would jump back to the ground or a wall or something to push off of. He would then push off with huge force and shoot towards his opponent with blinding speeds. Then he would use every ounce of muscle and momentum in his body to give a piercing strike with the katana poised in a straight line. This devastating blow could tear through almost anything if Naruto used enough force, but could be even more overpowered if Naruto channeled some sharp wind chakra into his blade tip.

However, there was a problem. Since Naruto was young now, his strike was still not very powerful, and most swords could bear it without breaking. However, when Naruto grew even stronger, the amount of force behind the blow would become monumental. This meant that most swords would not last a single match, and some would not even last the foreplay of the kata. Naruto would have to either find a worthy sword, or reinforce one with seals. Otherwise, his whole style, which he had created himself, would be ineffective.

Naruto glared at the splinters, silently cursing them for breaking so early. This time, they had only lasted _one_ round. At least Naruto got one thing out of it: he was getting stronger. Ever since he had learned the Kage Bunshin from the scroll his father left him, he had used it to boost his training by 100x. Clones would practice kenjutsu katas, fuinjutsu, calligraphy, and chakra control.

Kakashi stepped out from behind a large oak, surprising the child and unintentionally scaring the crap out of him. Naruto squealed like a little girl and sprang to a nearby tree, quickly scaling it like a squirrel and curling up on one of the highest branches. Kakashi sighed and sweatdropped, slumping with a tiny rainstorm swirling over his head.

"My own student is afraid of me...Am I really that scary?" Kakashi muttered while poking his fingers together. Naruto quickly dropped down and ran up to his mentor.

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi-sensei! I was just startled by your sudden appearance! Please, forgive me for overreacting! In penance, I shall do 10 shadow-kata of my style! YOSH!" Kakashi sighed and turned to Naruto.

"It's alright Naruto, but I have one concern. Why don't you have a name for your style yet?"

Naruto chuckled sheepishly and shuffled his feet. "Well, I am just having so much trouble on choosing a proper name! It has to badass, funny, and cool at the same time, but should also be dignified. I just can't come up with a name with all of those qualities."

Kakashi just stared intently at his student _._ He spoke. "Naruto, the name of your style will only become great if you spread its teachings and it's power all over. The Goken style is so well-known since so many great ninja have mastered it, including Gai. The name does not make the style: the power of the ninja who uses it does." Naruto pondered this.

"So the name doesn't really matter as long as I become very strong and spread its influence. Hmmmm... It's name will be-"

Naruto jumped up and made a kabuki stance with his eyes popping out. He then yelled the name of his kenjutsu style:

"The Weaken and Destroy Sword Style!" Naruto basked in imaginary rays of glory shining from the heavens.

Kakashi sweatdropped. Naruto had not only done his godfather's infamous kabuki dance, but he had also given one of the longest, most tiresome, and most simple title in the history of ever. Naruto had probably given three seconds of thought into making the title.

"Uh, Naruto, I'm quite sorry to burst your bubble, but that title is horrible. It's too long, too simple, too silly, and basically gives away you whole style to the enemy, should they know it. You will not keep it. And why were you doing that _ridiculous_ dance!? It's not even funny to me since I've seen it so many times! Besides, it's stupid and makes you look like you're five!" Kakashi was practically yelling at the end.

Naruto just looked at him innocently. "But Kakashi-sensei, I _am_ five years old."

Kakashi sighed and looked for something to bang his head on. After a couple of stories about his godfather, the energy bundle had started to do exactly what his godfather did: act silly, be very curious, and do that stupid pose every single minute. Either Jiraiya had actually made a big impact on Naruto, or the kid was just making a big joke out of it. Kakashi sighed tiredly. If you didn't know what Naruto looked like, then you might think he was a lot older.

"Naruto, you know what I meant. However, you really need to change that name." Naruto pouted.

"You ruin my fun, Kakashi-sensei! Why don't you ju-" Naruto was silenced by a quick look from the one-eyed jonin.

Naruto relented and gained a more serious face on his look. It was like taking off a mask. Another thing Naruto had picked up from the stories of Jiraiya were the ability to control his emotions and play different feelings. Naruto practiced calming himself or making himself angry or sad by drawing on memories. After two months of one hour of practice every day, Naruto was very good at it, and was only becoming better.

"The name of the style will be... _**Kyukyoku no Ken**_."

Kakashi nodded his approval. It was a simple, to-the-point name that was dignified. However, some might consider a title of "Ulitmate Sword" to be a sign of overconfidence, conceit, or even presumptuousness. However, if Naruto took this style far enough, that overconfidence would be justified.

"Very well, Naruto. I expect you to live up to the title of your sword style, and make it the true ultimate style. However, you must make new kata for it as time passes, otherwise you will become too predictable." Kakashi tossed Naruto another bokken. "Continue to practice and master this kata, and after you reach a certain level of skill in it, you should make a new kata. Keep it up." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a soft puff of smoke.

Naruto looked at the bokken and tightened his face into a mask of blazing determination. He picked it up and shifted into his opening stance. His right hand held the bokken in a reverse grip, and his left hand was held out as a counterweight. His legs were slightly bent and he shifted his center of gravity slightly forward as well. His left foot was in front of his right one by about three feet, and he was slightly twitching his right foot. He pushed off with his right foot and shot towards the side of the reinforced training dummy. After slashing it once with stone-crushing force, he pushed off with his right foot again and slashed at the side of the dummy. This continued as Naruto picked up speed and became a blur that continually dashed around the dummy and slashed at it. Naruto alternated between pushing off, running, and diving. He also moved very unpredictably: he would randomly shoot around the dummy in all manner of crazy angles, even jumping over it and sliding at its feet. Soon, Naruto leaped backed, pushed himself off, and in the blink of an eye, gave the terrific blow to the dummy, which shattered instantly. However, the sword also shattered instantly, leaving Naruto with empty hands. However, something else had happened.

Naruto realized that when he pushed off for the finishing blow, he got a bit of tunnel vision. This would be a major problem when he grew faster. The final blow would leave him pretty vulnerable: he would be a bit weary, his sword would probably be shattered or weak, and he would not be able to see enemies coming from the sides.

Naruto shrugged it off. "Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." He thought.

With no sword, Naruto decided to make some clones to spar with in hand-to-hand combat. He crossed his fingers and five Naruto look-alikes poofed into existence. They jumped back and got into the stance of the Goken. Naruto did the same.

Naruto had his right shoulder and right arm angled towards his opponents, with his arm bent at the joint. His left hand was behind his back. His legs were spread apart and his knees were bent, with his right leg slightly in front of his left. The real Naruto gave the "come hither" sign with his hand. The clones immediately charged, becoming a blur.

They were upon him in a second, looking to hit him, and hit him hard. The Goken was a style that was created to cause extreme external damage and severe internal damage. It was a style meant to break bones. It mainly focused on the fists and legs, but one could use almost any of their body parts in it, including the head.

The clones quickly surrounded him, lashing out with a combo of kicks, punches, and chops. Naruto dodged two punches by shifting to the left, only to come face-to-face with a roundhouse kick. Naruto ducked under it, never losing his cool demeanor. The last two clones came in from opposite sides with punches, only to hit each other and dispelled as Naruto instantly did a perfect split and hit the ground with his legs at a 180-degree angle. Only three clones left.

Naruto quickly dropped onto his back and rolled away, avoiding a harsh punch from one of the clones. He sprang to his feet and got into a fighting stance once again. This time, Naruto went on the offensive. He blurred towards the nearest clone, engaging him in a heated taijutsu match. Naruto threw punch after punch, kick after kick, continually hammering the clone's defense. After a couple of seconds, the clone was unable to dodge one particularly quick punch, and doubled over. A very powerful roundhouse kick from the real Naruto dispelled it, giving Naruto a flurry of memories. Naruto then rushed the other two clones, who responded in kind.

Naruto flipped onto his hands as he neared the clones. Naruto began hitting one of the clones at a blinding speed with his legs, making a machine-gun staccato. The clone soon dispelled under the intense barrage of kicks, giving Naruto some unpleasant memories, and leaving one last clone for the real Naruto to deal with.

Naruto flipped back onto his feet and faced off against the final clone. They rushed each other and began a very heated taijutsu battle. The clone was significantly stronger, as it had received some of the memories and some of the chakra of the four clones that had been dispelled. The taijutsu match continued for a minute until the real Naruto made a mistake: he overextended a punch, his own momentum carrying him too far. He stumbled.

The clone capitalized on the error. The real Naruto was suddenly hit with a smashing punch and a kick that blasted him upwards. The clone didn't stop. He jumped up in the air above the stunned Naruto and performed a chakra enhanced axe kick, slamming his hard heel into the unprotected abdomen of the real Naruto, which sent him rocketing back to the ground. He landed with a loud bang, shrouding the area around him in a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, it showed a bruised Naruto lying in a crater about the size of his body. That attack was sure to have cracked some ribs.

Naruto shakily got up and got into a defensive stance, waiting for the clone to attack him. The clone did.

The first punch the clone threw was dodged, as well as the second. However, the third one clipped the side of Naruto's arm, sending him slightly off balance. Naruto widened his eyes and quickly righted himself, but in the second that it took to do so, the clone gave another beating which sent Naruto sprawling.

Naruto kept on receiving beatings like this. He kept on trying to right himself, and kept on getting beat up for it. Finally, Naruto decided to try something else. When he slipped up, he tried to go with it. This time, the clone had given a punch which had sent Naruto's feet in the way of each other, causing him to trip on his own feet. Instead of trying to right himself, Naruto rolled with the fall and gave a two-footed back kick to the clone's stomach. It dispelled in a poof of smoke. Naruto panted and slumped to the ground. The battle was over.

Naruto learned one crucial lesson from this battle: Don't try to correct small mistakes in battle; just go with them and find a way to adapt to the problem, to use it to your advantage. To go with the flow.

After recovering, Naruto decided to make some more clones, about 150, to practice wind manipulation. Naruto was coming along very nicely in the elemental manipulation field: he could already split a leaf in two under a second. Now, he was working on splitting a piece of wood under the same time. The concept for both exercises was the same: to make the chakra as thin and sharp as physically possible. This could be done by condensing the chakra, then forming two blades that rubbed each other at the edges, making it sharper. Naruto had to transform his chakra into sharp wind chakra and then try to cut the object/objects at hand; in this case, a piece of wood.

The clones poofed into existence and set out to find a branch or cut out a piece of wood. Soon, all of the clones were sweating with exertion as they tried to cut the piece of wood into two pieces. Most clones could cut it a small bit, some clones could cut it about halfway, and small fraction of them could cut it completely. Those that did cut it completely dispelled, transferring the memories to the rest of the clones and to the original, making it slightly more easy for the rest to cut it.

After a couple of hours, when the sun had risen high into the sky, all of the clones had successfully cut their piece of wood and had dispelled. The real Naruto had been meditating in the shade of a tree, processing the memories he received. As soon as he filed away the memories of the last clone, he stood up and cut out a piece of wood from the tree he was sitting under.

Naruto manipulated his chakra into sharp wind chakra and cut through the piece of wood in about ten seconds.

"Ten seconds, hm? Well, I've got to be able to split it in under a second! More clones!" Naruto thought.

Naruto crossed his fingers and 200 clones poofed into existence. Naruto had already given the command to go to the warehouse on the estate and get their own piece of wood. All of the clones took off, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Naruto took up his meditative position under the tree and waited patiently.

Once all of the clones returned with a piece of wood in each hand, Naruto spoke. "I want all of you to try to cut the piece of wood as fast as you can. If you get a better time than ten seconds, then dispell yourself. Reuse the pieces. I want the time to be cut down to at least three seconds. Go!"

The clones got to work. Naruto started to practice fuinjutsu. He was trying to reduce the time taken for him to draw a perfect storage seal on any surface, while sticking countless leaves and rocks to his body. He patiently drew the kanji and the various lines of the seal on a rock at a pace that was moderate for him, but to an ordinary person, it would seem very fast. Naruto finished the seal in five seconds and studied it for any mistakes, finding none, he channeled chakra to a certain part of the seal, turning it unstable. He threw it to the side just as it exploded, sending small shards of rock everywhere. Naruto then did the same on a leaf, then a chunk of wood, then a pebble.

After several hours, Naruto had been able to make a flawless storage seal while sticking leaves and rocks to his body in under two seconds. His strokes were lightning fast and incredibly smooth, and the seal seemed to appear like an image from a camera. Naruto sighed and let all of the leaves and rocks fall to the ground. He had accomplished his goal. Just to confirm it, he made three more storage seals under two seconds while having his eyes closed.

He thought, "Whew, one thing done. Now, what should I do...Maybe I can try to do that special technique I read about!"

Naruto imagined the whole storage seal in his head. He envisioned every line, every curve, everything. Then he made a half-ram seal with his right hand and pressed it to a leaf. A storage seal slowly appeared on the leaf as Naruto continually channeled chakra into the leaf. After thirty seconds of hard concentration, the entire seal had formed. Naruto opened his eyes and inspected it. It was flawless.

Naruto nearly jumped with joy. He had done it! He had actually made a perfect storage seal without using a drop of ink!

The fuinjutsu technique he used was a fairly simple one. The only requirements were to have a profound knowing of the seal you wish to draw, a fairly large pool of chakra, and a decent level of chakra control. The technique could essentially draw a seal out of chakra onto any surface. At first, the time taken would be large and so would be the chakra expenditure. However, through practice, one could master the technique and draw seals in perfect form in split seconds on any surface, even on other seals. It was also said that through enough mastery, the user could draw seals on air or even on a vacuum. Naruto was absolutely pumped by his success and intended to be able to write seals on air someday.

Naruto made even more clones and had them use the technique as well. Naruto pushed himself and his clones to the limit, making them draw seals using the technique in under ten seconds. After another hour, Naruto had reduced the time to about five seconds, but that wasn't enough for the perfectionist. He dispelled all of the clones who were practicing fuinjutsu and created a new batch, aiming to reduce the time even further.

After several more hours, Naruto had done it. He could apply a simple storage seal wherever he wanted to in a split second, and used only a tiny sliver of his gigantic reserves. The entire area around the boy had been absolutely covered with seal after seal. There were probably several thousand storage seals that were drawn onto the ground, and several more thousands that were on the tree, the leaves, and the rocks.

Naruto lay on his back as the adrenaline slowly wore off and he began to realize just how tired he was. He had been working for over ten hours straight, and it was nearly nighttime. The sun was half-hidden under the horizon. Naruto's chakra pathways, especially the ones on his right hand, were very sore and there were even some burn marks on Naruto's fingers due to the amount of chakra he had channeled through that part of his anatomy.

By a stroke of insanely bad luck, all of the other clones which Naruto had created instantly dispelled. All of the memories of training his wind manipulation and his fuinjutsu, along with the mental and physical exhaustion that came with the other training proved to be too much, even for his advanced mind.

Naruto blacked out with blood flowing from his nose, flopping lifeless lay to the ground. He was breathing softly from his mouth, and looked quite peaceful.

He would lay there until his senseis would come and pick him up in the evening. Oh, what a surprise they would receive.

 _What a surprise._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX


	6. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_**

 _ **Narrator POV** (I do not own Naruto)_

Today was a real big day for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. An ambassador from Kumogakure was coming to the village as an envoy that very day, along with a couple of jonin as guards. The whole village was abuzz with excitement and anticipation, as they cleaned up the village and made it look as pristine and welcoming as possible. Even though it was real early in the morning, you could hear lots of villagers chatting.

Mothers dressed up their children in expensive kimonos and elegant dresses while fathers would prepare for the carnival, which would occur after the treaty had been signed. The whole village would celebrate, knowing that there was one less enemy out there.

However, there was a darker side to the preparations. The villagers were whispering to one another about the "Kyuubi Brat", about how he had gotten a lot more troublesome, and that he could ruin the whole event. Some even wanted to capture him and hold him prisoner until the treaty signing was over, but there were very many of them that supported the idea. Most of the villagers cursed Naruto in their heads, or muttered his name angrily as they went about their business. It didn't matter, though.

Naruto couldn't hear any of it.

* * *

 _ **(Hatake Estate)**_

Naruto, now six, indeed couldn't hear any of it. Not that he wanted to, anyways.

Naruto had grown a lot, both mentally and physically. His face was the same except his hair was longer and most of the baby-fat had been worked off from his face, leaving him with a visage that made him seem much older. His knowing eyes only added to the image. He had grown several inches and built his wiry little frame. He was stronger, faster, and smarter.

His fuinjutsu was at a solid Level 4, and he was working on the first stages of Level 5. His speed with seals was amazing, as was his skill with them. His chakra control was very good, but he had to train every day to keep it like that. His sword style was coming along very well, and he had already mastered the first kata of the _**Kyukyoku no Ken**_ , and had started thinking about the second. So far, no ideas had popped up.

However, his wind manipulation was what had taken the biggest leap. He had accelerated his training with 500 clones a day, with plenty of advice from Kakashi, and a lot of theory reading. Now, his wind manipulation was at the point where even the greatest Kazekage would consider it impossible. With a wave of his hand, he could send massive tearing, cutting, or slamming gales of wind, depending on his choice. He could surround himself with wind chakra to enhance his speed, his defense, or his cutting power. The level of manipulation shown by Naruto was simply... _Godlike_.

But that didn't please Naruto. Naruto kept on training his wind manipulation, never satisfied. He often told Kakashi and Gai that he felt that there was a higher level of manipulation that he had yet to reach.

He had sort of recovered from all of the hatred he had received during his earlier years. For almost a whole year, he had cut all communications with people other than his senseis, his Jiji, and the Ichirakus. Naruto often called them over to chat or deliver some ramen.

As of now, he was doing some insane stretches that would make any man cringe. However, Naruto was able to perform it with the ease of a professional contortionist: the result of countless hours of hard training.

Naruto had grown so accustomed to his training that he sort of set his body on autopilot and let his mind wander. Now, he was thinking about Gai's other student, Lee.

Lee was a particularly outgoing and prideful character, but what really defined him was his burning determination to be a successful shinobi even with his disability. As Gai had explained to him, Lee had been born with a very underdeveloped and mangled chakra system, with almost all of his Tenketsu points being blocked off or destroyed. By some miracle, his main eight Tenketsu were completely intact, allowing him to use chakra in that region. However, he could not use chakra anywhere else on his body. It just wasn't there.

Naruto was truly inspired by Lee, and gave him the utmost respect. Lee was also an orphan and he was also discriminated for his disability, but Lee had somehow trained himself enough to catch the attention of Gai. To have impressed _Gai_ was truly something else.

Lee also held great respect for Naruto, and always tried to help him. Lee would never think of insulting or undermining Naruto: one does not simply do that. The fact that Naruto had survived five years almost completely on his own had Lee amazed. Naruto was truly a saint.

Naruto came out of his thoughts and realized he was on the push-ups already. He was somewhere around the 500 mark, but had hardly broken a sweat. After training under Gai for about a year, his little frame had grown stronger and stronger. His bones were like steel and his muscles were like metal ropes.

Naruto was a machine. Although being small, cute, and childish, he was a machine, who had limitless stamina and untold strength.

After two hours of physical training, the heavily panting Naruto plopped to the ground, unsealed a water bottle from a tattoo on his wrist, and started drinking. He gulped for ten seconds straight and slammed it down, panting. He resealed the water bottle in his tattoo and took a minute to relax.

After his minute was up, he went back to training.

* * *

 _ **(Konohagakure no Sato)**_

The village was alight with banners, fireworks, and great bonfires. Men drank sake and chatted, Women ate dango and gossiped, and the children ran across the streets of Konoha, playing games at the various kiosks that had been set up. The entire village was celebrating: no one could possibly think of anything bad in such a merry environment...

 _But there were some who did._

Several of the village council members had been plotting the moment Naruto had been revealed as jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko. To them, this was one of the biggest chances they had ever had. The village distracted by the festivities, most of the ninja guarding the borders of the village, and the Hokage's gaze on the ambassador; all of this let them make a clear path to Naruto.

The Shinobi Council had access to where the jinchuuriki was taking residence, and with some shared secrets, some hired ninja, and some bottles of sake, a plan was established. With Kakashi and Gai far away on guard duty, there would be no one to protect Naruto.

To add to it, the Civilian Council had managed to get hold of the Kumo ambassador, who coincidentally, hated Konoha, and was an extremely greedy and egotistic man. They had used a bit of money, a bit of secrets, and a bit of prodding to arrange a kidnapping. In exchange for creating a huge commotion, the Kumo ambassador had been given precise information on where the Hyuuga clan's heiress would be hidden. He had also been told when her guards had their dinner break and where to escape the village borders from.

Fugaku Uchiha of the Shinobi Council had given most of the information away, and had even offered to help in kidnapping the heiress. Fugaku was very spiteful towards the Hyuuga clan, and coincidentally, hated Naruto for his jinchuuriki status. Creating such a notorious plan with some civilians in order to give his enemies misery was something he would do.

 _No matter which way you put it, shit would hit the fan tonight._

* * *

The day had passed very quickly. It seemed to shift instantaneously from day to night. Now, vibrant firecrackers, glowing lanterns, roaring bonfires, and great fiery carnival dragons littered the streets and roofs of the village, making it look like a fire opal from above. Almost every single family was celebrating: some invited relatives and ate hearty home-made dinners; while some gathered friends and feasted at restaurants. Some people ate out in the cool night air, basking in the light of over 1,000 fires.

Naruto was sitting on the roof, enjoying the sights with a bag of rice cakes. From his vantage point, he could see the whole estate in front of him: the forest to his right, the clearing to his left, the training grounds in the middle, with more woodland behind it.

All of a sudden, he spotted a shadow flitting through the forest at his right. Thinking nothing about it, he continued munching his snacks. Just when he told himself it was nothing, the shadow moved into his vision again: this time, it was clearer. The figure looked like a large thing carrying a sack of rice. Naruto looked closer. His enhanced eyes focused and managed to make out the very slight gleam of piece of metal reflecting a bit of moonlight.

Naruto did a double-take and looked again. It was no illusion! The glint of metal was a forehead protector! Naruto made some quick calculations in his head.

"That can't be an ANBU, since they don't have forehead protectors; all of the Konoha ninja are busy partying or guarding; and no one can go through the forest without the permission of Kakashi-sensei! That has to be a Kumo-nin! But, what's that lump he's carrying? If it was supplies, he would transport it through the streets, or in a storage seal. So, it must be...!" Naruto thought to himself and slowly came upon the realization that he was witnessing a kidnapping.

Naruto shot to his feet, ready to chase after the kidnapper, only to stumble a bit when he realized that that must be a Kumo jonin, and he should ask his senseis for help. Naruto was torn between wasting precious time and calling for his sensei's help, or going after the kidnapper himself, all alone, with no back-up.

"Oh, screw it. Kakashi-sensei and Gai-sensei are probably drunk."

Naruto made his decision in one moment. He chose to chase the kidnapper by himself. There just wasn't enough time.

 _With that, Naruto dashed after the kidnapper, into the night._

* * *

The quick-footed intruder had crossed the entire Hatake estate by the time Naruto could get a good look at his face. He had dark skin and a cruel face with several scars. His head was practically hairless, with a black bandanna covering two-thirds of it. He had a grim smirk on his face as he dashed through trees.

Due to the way Naruto was trailing the Kumo-nin, he was above the kidnapper. Naruto followed him to the edge of the estate and then into a slightly less dense part of woodland. This was where Naruto made his first mistake.

Naruto jumped a particularly large gap between trees, allowing the moonlight to cast a shadow of him on the ground in front of the kidnapper. The kidnapper was clearly an experienced jounin, and immediately realized that there was a shinobi above him.

The kidnapper flung a handful of eight-pronged shuriken at Naruto, who was still in midair, unable to dodge. The shuriken ripped clean through a wooden log and soared into the air, far away.

The Kumo-nin got into a defensive stance, shielding the sack while scanning the trees around him. On his second sweep, he caught a flicker of movement from his right flank. He jumped up at the last moment, avoiding the large invisible blade of wind that was sent at him. It was only visible as a distortion in the air, and that was only when it cut through the trees to the kidnapper's left.

However, the attack had failed and Naruto had given away his position. The kidnapper went on the offensive.

Naruto frantically ran from the lightning bolts that were cast at him from the fingertips of the Kumo-nin. Even his wind couldn't protect him if he got hit...

 _But wait_

Wind was stronger than lightning since air was a poor conductor of electricity of any sort. So, maybe his wind could protect him?

Naruto, being the impulsive and reckless kid he was, decided to try it out on the Kumo-nin. In the middle of a very serious and dangerous battle. No wonder people called him idiotic at times.

Naruto jumped to the left and stuck out his right hand. In a split second, a swirling mass of wind covered his hand. It expanded outwards and backwards, forming a cone-shaped barrier in front of him.

The Kumo-nin captalized on the fact that Naruto had halted. Aiming to end things quickly, he dropped the sack and ran through a couple of handseals, slamming his palms onto the earth. His hands became encased with lightning, which ran across the ground and formed a large wolf that screamed and sparkled with electricity as it shot towards the waiting jinchuuriki.

Naruto's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the ninja to use a stronger attack! Now he really had to make his barrier strong! The now-sweating Naruto just poured more chakra into his shield and hoped for the best.

The two techniques clashed with a horrible grinding-screeching sound. The lightning struggled to pierce through the chakra-enhanced wind, while the wind struggled to maintain its form under the pressure. However, after a couple of seconds, the elemental advantage of wind over lightning won out. The lightning beast dissipated into shreds of static and chakra, while the wind barrier remained strong.

The Kumo-nin's eyes widened in shock, and then narrowed in rage. His favorite technique had been shrugged off like nothing! Of course, it was quite understandable, being that wind had the elemental advantage over lightning, but still!

Naruto acted purely on instinct. His golden chakra chains burst out from his left hand and bound the Kumo-nin before he could do anything. Then, the chains snatched the sack away. While the Kumo-nin was in shock that an Uzumaki still existed, Naruto shot at his with his wind barrier in his right hand.

Something was different about it. The cone of wind had shrunk to the size of his arm and now howled with the fury of a thousand storms. The wind was pulsing and contracting, desperately trying to get free from the pressure. The pressure also made it very sharp, so sharp that it could give the Kusanagi blade a couple of scratches.

"Ugh...An Uzumaki!? I thought they were extinct...but who cares! I'll take them both to Raikage-sama! He will be grateful! I will be reward-! W-what is that!? Where is the Hyuuga girl? Oh _shit_!"

The last thoughts of the Kumo-nin echoed in his head just as the wind technique slammed into his chest and sunk through it like it like it was made of water. Blood sprayed out in a cone and covered Naruto in a thin layer of blood.

Naruto's eyes widened with shock and glazed over, his brain taking him back to his first kill(s). He had not fully recovered with the fact that he had killed people, and this occasion opened the wound again. Naruto managed to get his emotions under control with uncanny speed, but the damage was done.

The technique needed to be monitored constantly and kept in check with concentration. Naruto had faltered, and due to that, the technique had grown unstable. No matter how hard Naruto tried, the technique would not stabilize. It grew larger and wilder as it ripped through the body of the kidnapper.

Naruto decided it was too late and jumped back, and just in time too. A moment later, the technique exploded, shredding trees like paper and gouging a massive cone-shaped scar into the earth. The cone turned red with blood, making Naruto's stomach turn.

When the winds died down, it was quite the scene of destruction. For at least a hundred feet, there were no trees or grass: only a massive cone-shaped cut in the earth that went down several meters. There was absolutely no sign of the Kumo-nin, except for a couple stray bits of flesh, bone, and blood, as well as half of a Kumo headband.

Naruto gave a slow, long sigh. He picked up the sack and shot off through the trees. He would check who was inside later on, perhaps after he had a bit to eat. Oh, how he longed for his rice cakes.

* * *

The villagers had gathered a large group of a mix of shinobi, civilians, and Council members. Among them were Mebuki Haruno, a particularly hateful woman who made her daughter throw stones ay him; a bunch of rowdy Uchihas, who hated him for making their clan look bad; and a very nasty, very fat Civilian Council member. Leading them was none other than Fugaku Uchiha. He was accompanied by a couple of Hyuuga, who had surprisingly joined forces with their rival clan just for getting their revenge.

The mob cut through the empty streets with a trancelike silence. The only sound was the soft tapping of sandals treading on cobblestone. One more turn, and they would be in the Hatake Estate. They all stopped at the fence, gathering around and squeezing together like children viewing a museum exhibit.

Fugaku smirked. The revenge he so badly needed would be delivered this night.

"Stand back" Fugaku ordered the mob with a cruel, pitiless voice.

With a single handseal, Fugaku blew a mighty ball of red-white fire inot the fence, which only stood for a second before melting completely. The fireball continued on through the dark forest, burning a great scar through trees, and turning green grass into black earth. The procession continued into the forest, with only one intent.

 _To take their Revenge._

* * *

Naruto was nearing the house now, and it seemed that all of the light in the village had died out. It was about one or two o'clock in the morning. There was a stillness and a quiet that made someone peaceful yet lonely at the same time.

Suddenly, the silence was disturbed by the sounds of people shouting and walking. Naruto strained his ears to hear, but only got little snippets of the conversation: "He must be close...Move out...Search for him...We get our...Find the Kyuubi brat!"

Naruto's blood ran cold. There was a large amount of "haters" that were coming for him. Kakashi and Gai were most likely passed out or stoned. He was alone, with an unconscious person, and he was tired. The adrenaline rush that came with his first real battle had worn off, leaving him high and dry.

The voices were getting closer. He could hear several shouts of "Byakugan!", which meant that they had trackers. They came closer and closer, until...

The forest stood still as all of the voices quieted down immediately. One by one, all eyes were focused on him, each harboring a myriad of negative emotions. For just a moment, Naruto stood like a deer caught in the headlights, frozen there by shock. They all stood still, but not for long.

The mob began to take out weapons of every sort: knives, needles, ninja tools, staffs, spears, scalpels, swords, darts, fingernails, teeth, axes, harpoons, rocks, sticks, shards of glass, bottles, and even bananas. Evil smiles grew on the faces of every single one of them, as they toyed with their weapons.

Naruto didn't know what to do. He couldn't run from those ninjas; he couldn't call for help; he couldn't hide from them; he couldn't do anything.

Naruto slowly backed away, keeping the sack behind him. He took one step back, the mob took two steps forward. It was hopeless. In no time at all, they were upon him, screaming and shouting, swinging everything they had at him. Naruto curled up into a ball, the mental stress was too much for him. He braced himself for the inevitable pain that would soon come. Only, it didn't.

The attackers in front of the six-year-old were thrown back with immense force. Several snapped their necks by falling or hitting trees. They rest tumbled back to their group, nursing their wounds and glaring hatefully at the new obstacle in their path.

"Yosh! Don't worry, Naruto-kun! I am here to help!" Naruto looked up, hope blooming on his face. His savior was none other than Lee Rock! He looked ridiculous in his green jumpsuit and orange leg warmers, but the intense and serious look on his face made you think twice about underestimating the fierce seven-year-old. Naruto sighed in relief.

 _Help had arrived._

* * *

Fugaku had laughed at the green-wearing academy student. He wasn't laughing now. The kid was no joke. Lee would blur around at very high speeds, stop a bit to hit someone with a bone-crushing punch or kick, and then blur away again. Although the more powerful shinobi or the group could see him, the civilians, chuunins, and genins just saw a green blur.

Lee had committed himself, and was going all out. Every step was light as a feather and propelled him with crazy speed. Each blow was timed perfectly, so that he hardly had to stop his momentum in order to nail someone. His sheer strength was off the charts. What was Gai feeding him!? His attacks snapped necks, broke spines, fractured skulls, tore flesh, and much more. Despite the amount of blood he was drawing, he was so fast that the only place that had any of the red liquid on it were his bandaged hands.

After a few minuted of Lee kicking ass, the civilians, chuunin, and genin had been brutally killed. While Lee may hate killing for no reason, he didn't hate it when the ones he was killing Wanted to hurt his friends. The few Uchiha and Hyuuga, along with Fugaku, had simply stood by and watched the lesser of them be killed, not even caring to help or interfere.

 _Heartless._

When the remaining members of the mob attacked, Naruto stepped in. His arrival distracted the attackers. He had gotten over his shock and fear, and had already formed two of the wind cones, one on each hand. Behind him, a barrier had been constructed by his clones, with the bundle right in the center. Now there was a little girl's face poking out of the lip of the bag, watching with wide, pale eyes that threatened to spill tears.

Naruto and Lee looked at each other, nodded simultaneously, and charged, disappearing in blurs. From then on, it was pandemonium.

Punches and kicks were thrown, each scrapped to their very core, lacking any of the beauty or grace a fighting style would have. While the Hyuuga had some trouble keeping up, the Uchiha matched the two, move for move.

Ko Hyuuga was the first to fall. His death was swift, but not swift enough to escape the excruciating pain of being torn apart by a massive cone of wind blades. He disappeared into the explosion, screaming, and a few seconds later, the cone was painted a slight red. His fellow Hyuuga looked in shock at what had happened, and opened their mouths to shout out in rage or grief, only to be silenced by the completely emotionless look given by Naruto.

 _Glorp._

While the Hyuuga were still shocked, Lee came up behind the beefiest looking one and smashed the top of his head clean off with a punch. The crunch was quite satisfying. Though, Lee reflected, it was kinda gross to put your hand through brain matter.

 _Squelch_

The idiotic Hyuugas were still shocked, gaping like fish when they should have been defending. A third one went down when Lee kicked at his head from the right, and Naruto kicked at his head from the left. The two opposing forces burst his head like a water balloon, only it sprayed watermelon pulp. But none of it touched the two kids; they flickered away in milliseconds.

The final Hyuuga was a pushover. After having the lifeblood of his three comrades splattered all over him, he was shaky and afraid. Naruto and Lee smelled his fear, and it smelled like chicken. They moved in for the kill, and-

 _Crack._

The man flopped lifelessly to the ground, his neck bent at a very sharp angle. Naruto pulled back his fist and flickered away, towards the Uchihas.

However, the Uchiha clansmen did not limit themselves to their taijutsu only. Three great fireballs were sent at the pair, who were easily tracked by the legendary eyes. The three fireballs converged on a point and merged in one gigantic sphere of red-white flames.

In a split second, it was upon Naruto and Lee, who were swallowed by the incoming firestorm. It boiled and roiled for a moment and then seemed to swell up. The Uchiha lost control over their technique as it exploded in a bright flash and then dissipated, revealing an unharmed Naruto and Lee, protected by both a fuinjutsu barrier technique and Naruto's wind barrier.

Fugaku growled at the failure of the collaboration technique, and quickly barked out some orders to his fellow clansmen. They all ran through handseals, and this time, three gigantic fire dragons shot out from their mouths, each one completely white with flames. This time, the techniques were in a single-file line.

Naruto didn't hesitate. He formed a wind cone in his right hand and charged it up in mere seconds. After using for less than an hour in real life battle, he had mastered it to a very high level. And that was without Shadow clones!

The swirling cone of wind grew and grew until it was a very wide dome-shaped thing the size of a house. Naruto willed the chakra-enhanced wind to form a long, narrow cone that stretched for twenty feet behind his hand. It was as narrow as Naruto himself, his height was the diameter of it. The tip of the cone was so sharp and condensed that it seemed to disappear into thin air, Lee had latched onto Naruto's back like a monkey and was holding on for dear life, since the winds were so intense in the cone.

The first fire dragon flew with considerable speed, but a bit slow due to the sheer size of it. It impacted the cone with a horrible roar. For a second, it seemed to gain power from the fast winds of the cone, but its dominance did not last long; it was sheared in half a split second afterwards.

The smoke was quickly cleared by the howling winds, revealing a second fire dragon roaring towards them. The same thing happened; the fire held up for a few seconds, convulsed, and was sliced and diced into smoke. However, the last dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Fugaku smirked.

The final dragon was the most powerful, having been created by the Uchiha clan head. Fugaku had directed his technique around the wind cone and behind them, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That moment had come.

Naruto's eyes widened, as did Lee's, but they had realized their mistake too late. The dragon roared towards them at short-range, blowing up a gigantic amount of forest and engulfing the two kids and everything in a 50-foot radius of them. The explosion was visible for miles and instantly awakened Kakashi and Gai from their drunken sleep. The little girl, who was still in the protective barrier, let her tears flow. The whole village of Konoha "oohed" and "aahed" at the large maelstrom of fire, thinking it to be some big firework.

 _But it wasn't._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Please tell me how the chapter was, and give some suggestions if you want to.

Tell me if you guys want a bit more detail, or more character development, or more training, or more fighting, etc.

Please give your suggestions soon, so I can frame a chapter accordingly.

Thank you for reading.

P.S. Can you guys give some suggestions for the name of the wind cone/barrier technique? I'm drawing a blank on that one.


End file.
